SAN DIEGO — In 1995, 23-year-old Indian filmmaker Aditya Chopra wrote and directed his first Bollywood movie, "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge." The globe-hopping romantic comedy told the story of two young British Indians, Raj and Simran, who fall hopelessly in love, even though Simran has been pledged by her father to an arranged marriage with a stranger in India.
Nicknamed "DDLJ" by its legions of fans, the movie became one of the highest-grossing Indian films in history. Chopra would go on to produce some of the nation's biggest blockbusters. The film's lead actors Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol became superstars overnight. And thanks to continued screenings at movie theaters in South Asia to this very day, "DDLJ" remains the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema.
Twenty-seven years later, Chopra is ready to take another crack at "DDLJ" with his first venture into American musical theater. "Come Fall in Love — The DDLJ Musical" will make its world premiere Thursday at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. And after it closes here, Chopra plans to prep the musical for Broadway.
